The BBC is assembling a new roster of cut-price presenters to replace highly paid stars who have been enticed to other channels, the corporation's creative director Alan Yentob said today, as it emerged that Jonathan Ross is in talks to launch his chatshow on ITV in the autumn.

In the week that the corporation allowed The One Show presenter Christine Bleakley to walk away in favour of a £4m ITV deal, Yentob signalled that the future for the BBC will lie in "home-grown" talent that represents value for money. Bleakley signed a deal to follow her One Show colleague Adrian Chiles to the rival broadcaster after BBC executives lost patience with her procrastination and withdrew a £450,000-a-year offer.

Executives at the corporation hope viewers will learn to love lesser-known faces, including musician-turned-scientist Professor Brian Cox and Jason Lewis, a young comedian who was discovered on Youtube and has just been handed his own sketch show on BBC Three, the youth-orientated digital channel. Other names regarded as good value for money include comedian Russell Howard, one of the stars of topical news show Mock the Week, and Jason Manford, who replaced Chiles when he defected to ITV in April.

Yentob said the organisation had a long tradition of cultivating its own stars. "The BBC has always been very loyal to people and it has grown talent. That continues to be a very important part of what we do."

Other BBC figures say the emphasis on internal promotion reflects a recognition at the highest level that the days of spending lavishly on presenters are over.

"Priorities have changed completely," said a BBC insider. "Two years ago it would have been all about getting the right presenter to ensure we held on to a particular demographic. Now it is about being a leaner organisation."

The BBC spent millions luring Graham Norton away from commercial rivals five years ago because it was a simple, if expensive, way to attract the younger viewers it has often found difficult to reach. But in an era of cost-cutting, and under a Tory-led government that has criticised the BBC for paying executives and stars too much, striking similar deals now is unthinkable. Norton took a £500,000 pay cut to stay at the BBC in January.

Ross, whose reported £18m three-year deal with the BBC in 2006 provoked outrage, announced in January that he was leaving the corporation, in the wake of the controversy over his abusive calls to actor Andrew Sachs. His departure next month will leave a hole in the schedule, prompting a reshuffle that will create opportunities for a raft of new stars.

Yentob said the BBC's digital channels had become the best training ground for the next generation of household names. Britain's booming stand-up comedy scene is also a source of talent, he added.

BBC Three commissioned a pilot from Lewis after the success of his Sniggers With Attitude sketches on the BBC Comedy website.

Russell Howard also emerged as a potential mainstream star following the successful BBC Three show Good News, a satirical take on the news that ran for seven episodes.

The BBC also has big plans for Simon Brodkin, another young comedian starring in his own BBC Three show, the Jason Lewis Experience, and Liverpool-born comic John Bishop, who is currently filming BBC1 series John Bishop's Britain.

Brian Cox, the physicist and a former musician, started filming his latest BBC science series Wonders of the Universe last month, but is carving out a wider role at the BBC. He co-hosts Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage and is also a regular contributor to BBC 6 Music's breakfast show.